Standing before the star chart, Raphael's fingertips had long since clenched into tight fists.
His fingers pressed so hard into his palms that tiny beads of blood began to seep out.
His face was slightly distorted by suppressed fury, and his chest heaved violently.
He took a deep breath, the rage in his chest nearly erupting, yet he forced it back down.
"Major General Bourbon!"
He deliberately emphasized his tone, attempting to appeal to the other man's sense of propriety.
"This is the office of the Opal Sector War Zone Commander, a critical location for discussing the war situation and deploying troops!"
He paused, his teeth grinding together. Every word seemed to be squeezed through his clenched jaw.
"I ask that you... please stop this and prioritize the bigger picture!"
Cassius de Bourbon didn't even lift an eyelid; his gaze remained glued to the beautiful female officer in his arms. He didn't spare Raphael behind him a single glance.
Chewing on a piece of fruit carefully fed to him by the female officer, he mumbled a few words through his teeth.
"Just a lapdog raised by the Alvarez family, and you think you're fit to boss me around?"
Raphael's fists clenched tighter.
Cassius was either completely oblivious or simply didn't care about his anger. He continued nonchalantly.
"You aren't qualified to tell me what to do."
"If it weren't for using this war to snatch some credit and polish my reputation, do you really think I'd be willing to come to this godforsaken sector, where there isn't even a decent place for entertainment?"
These words were like a sharp blade, stabbing deep into Raphael's heart.
The thought that even if he won the war, he would merely be paving the way for the other man's success made Raphael feel as if he had eaten filth.
Cassius continued to mutter carelessly.
"Fight this war well for me; don't make a single mistake."
He paused, a smug, sinister smirk suddenly appearing on his face, and a glimmer of greed for power flashed in his eyes.
"Whether I can successfully be promoted to General depends entirely on this battle."
As he spoke, he suddenly turned his head and gave the beautiful female officer a flirtatious smile, his tone ambiguous.
"Once I'm promoted to General, I'll appoint you as my personal secretary, and you can stay by my side every day. How does that sound?"
Before the words had even fully landed, he reached out with a thick, greasy hand and pulled the female officer tightly into his embrace, groping her without restraint.
The sounds of girlish giggles and indecent flirting in the office were like needles stabbing into Raphael's nerves.
He could bear it no longer; the long-suppressed rage nearly burst from his chest.
He spun around abruptly and walked toward the door with heavy, hurried steps.
Bang!
He shoved open the alloy door of the office.
Raphael did not look back, nor did he linger. He practically stumbled out, his silhouette filled with humiliation and resentment.
In the corridor outside, several staff officers and civilian personnel were standing. They had been conversing in low voices, but seeing Raphael rush out with a face as blue as iron, and faintly hearing the ambiguous moans coming from the office, they instantly understood what was happening inside.
Their expressions shifted slightly, and they instinctively looked away, pretending nothing had happened.
Raphael ignored them entirely, walking with a determined gaze toward the Tactical Simulation Room. People along the way instinctively avoided him, not daring to get close.
Tactical Simulation Room.
Bang!
Raphael pushed open the door to the simulation room, entering with a body full of rage and hostility.
Inside, several staff officers were gathered around the Holographic Simulation Table, discussing the war situation in low voices. They were all part of Strauss's old guard. Having campaigned with Strauss for many years, they were experienced and constituted the core staff strength of the war zone.
Seeing Raphael enter, the staff officers immediately stopped talking. They stood up in unison and gave him a military salute.
"Commander Raphael!"
On the surface, they were obedient and followed Raphael's every word. But Raphael knew very well that in their bones, these people still longed for that old man, Strauss. Toward him, the new Commander, they were merely respectful on the surface; deep down, they were distant and unconvinced.
Raphael walked to the head seat and slowly sat down, a chill flashing in his eyes.
But it didn't matter.
He calculated secretly in his mind, a barely perceptible cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Once this war was over, once he used his brilliant tactics to completely crush the Federation Fleet and seize the Ten Stone Starfield, these people would eventually be utterly subdued by his intellect and power, serving him willingly.
Raphael settled into the main seat. His gaze swept over every staff officer present like a hawk, finally landing precisely on Senior Colonel Crawford.
"Are the deployment positions for all fleets in place? Any abnormal movements from the Federation side?"
Senior Colonel Crawford lowered his head slightly and reported truthfully.
"Reporting to the Commander, all fleets are currently in position according to orders. No abnormal news has been received; everything is normal."
Just as he finished speaking, a hesitant voice suddenly sounded from the corner of the simulation room.
"Commander..."
A staff officer named Jasper Red frowned. After hesitating for a moment, he summoned the courage to speak.
"Is this deployment too risky?"
He walked quickly to the Holographic Star Map, his finger pointing precisely at the location of the Bedros Star System, his tone becoming increasingly urgent.
"The Bedros Star System is a critical defensive line node, yet not a single Sequence Fleet has been deployed there. It's far too easy for the Federation Fleet to find a loophole and break through the defensive line from here!"
"If General Strauss were still here, he would absolutely never make such a risky deployment!"
Strauss.
Those two words were like a thorn stabbing sharply into Raphael's ear, instantly igniting the fire in his heart.
The veins at his temples bulged. His previously nonchalant expression vanished instantly, replaced by a sinister, hostile glint in his eyes.
"Oh, you mean that old geezer?"
Raphael sneered, the mockery in his tone nearly overflowing.
"I sent him off to the Savis Star System long ago, so he wouldn't be an eyesore here."
He leaned back, lazily crossing his legs.
"I heard that among the four Sequence Fleets in the Savis Star System, only the commander of the Apollo Fleet is willing to kiss his boots. The others don't think of him at all."
The staff officers present all shared a flicker of anger in their eyes.
In this subtle silence, another fawning voice suddenly rang out, breaking the awkwardness in the room.
"He deserves it!"
Staff officer Victor Sharp suddenly stepped out from the crowd. His face was plastered with a deliberate, flattering smile, and the sycophancy in his eyes was almost palpable.
He cleared his throat, intentionally drawing Raphael's attention.
"After one battle, over 80,000 Imperial warships were destroyed by four hundred Federation warships. Such a crushing defeat... if it were anyone else, they would have been dragged to a court-martial long ago to face the severest judgment!"